Niceville Responds to First Amendment Audit

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Niceville City Manager David Deitch delivered the annual report on the school zone speed cameras installed along Palm and Partin Drives at the end of the last school year. These cameras issue $100 speeding tickets to drivers exceeding the speed limit by over 10 miles per hour in designated school zones. From each ticket, the city retains $60, while paying the camera vendor $3,400 monthly for leasing the equipment, as highlighted by City Councilman Doug Tolbert.

Tolbert inquired about the man-hours required to verify the flagged speeding offenses. Niceville Deputy Police Chief Brandon Chapin clarified that it takes one custodian approximately two hours daily to process the speeding violations. Initially, during the six weeks of summer operation, around 1,000 tickets were issued, which Tolbert estimated allowed the city to break even financially. Deitch noted that early revenue figures were less promising but provided updates showing a significant increase in citations, with current monthly figures between 1,500 and 1,800.

City Councilman Doug Stauffer observed that the presence of these cameras has influenced driver behavior, reflecting on his own driving habits: “Every time I drive down those roads, I’m thinking, how fast am I going? What is the speed limit?” This indicates a shift in community awareness regarding speed limits in school zones, suggesting that the cameras not only generate revenue but also promote safer driving practices among residents. Overall, the implementation of speed cameras appears to be a work in progress, focusing on reinforcing traffic laws and enhancing safety for schoolchildren.